


The Old Whore

by astrothsknot



Series: By My Lady's Command [4]
Category: By My Lady's Command, Original Work
Genre: Epistolary, Gen, Harem, I get thinky with my porn, Male Concubines, Musing on Life, Sex Slavery, Space Fantasy Setting, This isn't porn, found this on my computer and I quite like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 17:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11040675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrothsknot/pseuds/astrothsknot
Summary: Freedom to or freedom from?





	The Old Whore

Title: The Old Whore  
Author: astrothsknot  
Fandom: By My Lady’s Command  
Rating: PG13, Gen  
Disclaimer: Mine. All mine.

Dear Xander,

Long time no see! This is the first chance I've had to drop you a line and I didn’t have time to talk to you at Lady Z’s party. I was too busy entertaining the Princess. I couldn’t walk the next day. My Royal Highness really is as bad as they say. I’d agree with you that’s she’s a vampire, but for the fact that she casts a reflection.

She likes her bloodsports though...

Not that I can really moan, got myself a nice bonus out of it. I’ll be back at work in about 3 weeks. My back should be healed enough by then, at least so says the Doc. Peter has started to book engagements for then, at any rate.

For now, though, I'm just enjoying my time off. Been doing some sightseeing. It’s funny, I've been all over the Empire and I've never really seen any more of it than highly expensive bedrooms. The Convocation House is everything they say it is. How much over-budget did it go? It looks like a giant shoebox.

Speaking of money, I was counting up my earnings. Turns out I've enough to buy myself out, and I'd still have some left over, to either reinvest it, or buy something. Pub or a shop or something. I’ve been looking at some, even seen a couple I'd be really tempted to put an offer in for. A man still has to keep busy, you know. I wouldn’t want to have a job where I wasn’t around folk. Too used to the bustle and hum of a harem!

I was talking about this with Peter the other day - did I mention that he’s retiring? Lorcan’s been promoted to his deputy, and will take over when Peter goes in two years. He’s decided to travel, as he’s never been outside of Lady A’s residences in twenty years. 

Lorcan taking over. That’ll be fun. Place your bets on how long it’ll take before an assassination works.

On that subject there was another one on Dominic last week. Tormod thinks that it came from inside the harem, no surprise there. I’d put my money on it being that Sean fella. Never did trust blonds.

I am enjoying having all this time off, despite the fact I'm on crutches and can’t sit down, or lean back. I’ve been wondering what retirement will be like. I’m fifty now. Yes, I know I've been fifty for a few months now, but still. 

It’s really strange not having to rush around everywhere. You know the routine, you sleep late, then you’re either working out or educating yourself, then in the nights we all have assignments, on or off base. Makes me envy the time-management skills of the Seans of this world.

I can’t find the time to piss, never mind plot. 

But it has got me thinking about retirement. If I retire, it’ll be like this, all the time. I know that everyone has some dream of a shop or something, but dreams are not reality. I'll have no safety net. Here I'm fed, clothed, sheltered, entertained, medical care, etc. If I leave, I give all that up. If it doesn’t work out, I don’t have all that. I could rejoin the harem, but there’s no guarantees that they’d have me back, especially if I'm in a bad way physically. If I'm injured while I'm here, get cancer, or pick up an occupational hazard then it’s treated. But if it happens out there, I'm left to the State health system.

Of course, a big part of my ambivalence is the fact that I've never lived outside the harem system. I was born into it. My mother was a concubine. Would it be too much of a culture shock outside it?

I know that I could go straight from being a concubine to a courtesan, but I don’t see the point in that. If I'm going to quit, then I might as well quit. No half measures with me!

Having said all this, it’s not like I have to make any decisions on the subject. I never have to leave, and if Lady A offloads me, I get a nice financial settlement out of it. 

Don’t need to worry about buying myself out then!

My book is full, and I'm in as good physical shape - injuries excepted! - as most of the men here half my age. Got thirty years experience on my side to boot, so I'll be at the top of my game for a good few more years yet. OK, my prowess is chemically enhanced, but so’s everyone round here, even the youngsters. 

Great Gods...I said “youngsters?” Whoops, I did!

That’s what’s ahead for me if I stay on here when I'm past it. Peter’s different, he’s got a position, but I haven’t and I won’t get one now. I’m too old, and I don’t play politics the way the others do. I always preferred breathing. But I don’t want to turn into the Old Whores that she got from her grandmother - and no, I have no idea whether she killed off the Harpy or not. It’s not asking those questions that’s kept me alive all these years. 

But you see them sitting around here, banging on about the old days, when the Harpy was in charge. There’s about ten that she inherited and can’t get rid of, though she really should try harder. What makes it worse, is that they are only ten years older than me.

At best, they could be valuable links with continuity, mentoring the young ones coming through, being an uncle to the children that happen to be here. Some of the male concubines have their children with them, and there is a stable of female concubines who have children. 

But no. Like I say, all they do is hark back to their glory days, and what they can do to bring them back. Everyone avoids them, and they’re bad for morale. But if she was to get rid of them without just cause, the ramifications would spread past our harem, and out into society. No one wants outsiders coming in, telling us how to run things.

That said, they don’t spend all their time back in the past. They’ve made it their sworn duty to make things as difficult for Lady A as possible, and delight in various plots and feuds inside and out the harem. About twice a year they manage to do some serious damage. It would not surprise me if they were behind this latest attempt on Dominic. 

But somehow nothing is ever proved. You have to have a rock solid case to go after concubines of that length of service. There aren’t many men who make it that long, and you build up a power base in that time, whether you play the politics or not. There would be no way to keep it in-house.

I’ve always shied away from politics, but it’s unavoidable. No-one exists in a vacuum, and even if you are just spending your day trying to keep on the right side of everyone, it’s exhausting. Turning a blind eye to all the various transgressions and feuds. Ignoring what I hear when I'm out and about, making sure that nothing I say can be misconstrued, especially when I'm on engagement. Keeping on the right side of all the other harems and houses of the City.

I have to be aware of what’s going on and who with, and pretend I haven’t a clue. If I'm right, I could cause a hell of lot of trouble, and the same if I'm wrong. It wears you down after a while. That’s one of the things I've noticed. Because I'm not out and about in a work sense, I'm out of the loop with regards to other harems and Councillors. I’m aware of what’s going on, but I'm not directly involved. It feels great.

I’m not looking forward to having to go back into all that. If I retire, I won’t have to. No more watching my back.

Where was I? See? Senility is coming for me already. Here’s me fretting about buying myself out, when I'm hardly painting a glowing picture of harem life!

Another thing that’s struck me, is that if I buy myself out, is that I'd be able to stop taking enhancers. Every month, I'm taking more and more, just to keep going, and keep my reputation intact. It’s hard living up to something. I know they say the drugs are safe, but are they really? I can’t remember a time when I didn’t take them. I don’t think I've ever worked without them. I wonder what it would be like to want a woman so much, that I wouldn’t need anything

I enjoy my job in its’ most practical respect. I enjoy chatting with those who’ve engaged me, and with their concubines, hearing all the gossip and intrigue, the parties and the dinners, and of course, the money and what I can do with the money. I enjoy the fact that I'm good enough at what I do to have Repeats. It's flattering to be considered good enough at your job to have people recommend you to others, and come back themselves. Yes, I'll be missed in some quarters but, not for long. I’m not that good, and there’s always someone coming up behind you.

At the end of the day, I have a commodity to sell, that others wish to purchase. I’m a slave with a function to fulfil. And that’s all I am.

If I quit, maybe I’ll let myself get all lined and fat!

I’ve not actually been surgically altered. I’ve been lucky that way. The only piercing I've got is a nipple ring - I wasn't mutilated the way you were. How is your splitting these days? It does seem to be popular with the ladies.

But the older I get, the closer surgery is. I may be expected to look like a man of experience, but no one wants to fuck a corpse.

Something that sways me in favour of going, is children. I would love to meet someone, and have children. It would be lovely to bring them up, bandage their knees, to have an influence on them, and who they become that extends beyond their DNA. I’ve sired 20, 25 children over the past 30 years. I’ll never meet them. I don’t have a problem with that. 

But I'd like the chance - and the choice of parenthood - with my future children. 

In which case, I'd best to keep up the exercise. I’ll need it to run round after them. And I'll have to look my best to attract their future mother. It’ll be an interesting experience to be mutually exclusive to one woman. I expect she’ll be a retiring concubine or courtesan. It’s easier if one’s spouse is from the same industry as oneself. Marrying outside usually means people are only after your contacts and supposed influence over your old owners and their associates.

I know that’s why a fair amount of people do join a harem, but it’s one of the reasons that I'm leaving. Or thinking about it.

Oh, I don’t know. On one hand I'm tempted, on the other I'm terrified. Fortune favours the brave, look before you leap.

I’m not in any rush. I have a few more businesses to look at over the next few weeks, so I can use this time as a trial run. Plenty of time.

You take care of yourself

Regards,

Piers


End file.
